The Great

Canadian Picture Book

Prediction ChallengeActivity Booklet

Can you predict what happens next in each of these stories? (For adults: Are you smarter than a 5th grader?)

Warming Up: “Our Alberta Accent,” Lethbridge Living Magazine, Jan-Feb 2012, p. 23-25

According to the above magazine, you may be surprised to know that there are a number of words that are distinctly Canadian.

These are my predictions for the distinctly Canadian words in the magazine article. The first one is done for you:

“Eh: An invitation to reply, but you know what I mean, eh?”

Warming Up: Eh? to Zed: A Canadian ABeCedarium by Kevin Major, Illustrated by Alan Daniel

Can you predict the 4 “Z words” on the Z page of the above book, and why they are important to Canadians?

Warming Up: A Porcupine In A Pine Tree: A Canadian 12 Days of Christmas by Helaine Becker, Illustrated by Werner Zimmermann

Can you predict the missing words:

“On the ninth day of Christmas,

My true love gave to me:

Nine _______________ canoeing,

Eight _______________ munching,

Seven ________________ dogs sledding,

Six squirrels _________________ ,

Five _______________ ________________ ,

Four calling ________________ .

Three ________________ tails,

Two ________________ ,

And a _______________ in a

_________________ ________________.”

Tall Tales: The True Story of Trapper Jack’s Left Big Toe by Ian Wallace

Can you predict:

What caused Trapper Jack to lose his toe?

What was Dawson City famous for?

Tall Tales: Northern Lights: The Soccer Trailsby Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak, Illustrated by Vladyana Krykorka

Can you predict:

What comforts Kataujaq about the northern lights?

What the northern lights mean in the Inuit language?

In the story, what was the soccer ball made

out of?

Tall Tales: The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert Service. Paintings by Ted Harrison.

Can you predict:

What the narrator saw when he opened up Sam’s crematorium?

Hidden Pictures: A Mountain Alphabetby Margriet Ruurs, Illustrated by Andrew Kiss

Can you predict:

There are 14 things in the “G” picture in the above book, starting with the letter G. How many can you name?

Can you find the hidden letter G in the painting? Where is it?

Hidden Pictures: Very Last First Time

by Jan Andrews,

Illustrated by Ian Wallace

Can you predict:

What the”strange shadow shapes” are, under the ice?

What happens to Eva?

Natural Resources and the Environment: Boy Of The Deepsby Ian Wallace

Can you predict what happens next?

Natural Resources and the Environment: Lord Of The Skyby Linda Zeman-Spaleny, Illustrated by Ludmila Zeman

Can you predict:

What happens next in the story?

What the moral of the story might be,

for the kind boy and his village, and all the rest of us?

Human Rights: “Flags” or “Mr. Hiroshi’s Garden”by Maxine Trottier, Illustrated by Paul Morin

Can you predict:

What the young neighbour will do once Mr. Hiroshi is gone, before his house taken over by others?

Human Rights: Shi-shi-etkoby Nicola I. Campbell, Illustrated by Kim LaFave

Can you predict: What sorts of memories she will take with her of her rural home?

Canada’s Biggest Disasters

According to Canadian Disasters: A Historical Survey, can you predict any of the “top 7” Canadian disasters? These pictures will provide some hints:

Natural Disasters: The Dust Bowlby David Booth, Illustrated by Karen Reczuch

From 1929 to 1937, the prairies were hit by the Big Dry.

Can you predict what things characterized the Big Dry?

Play and Snow: Perfect Snowby Barbara Reid

Can you predict:

What the snow in the above picture book image is actually made of?

Play and Snow: Baseball Bats For Christmasby Michael Arvaarluk Kusugak, Illustrated by Vladyana Krykorka

Can you predict:

What “standing ups” are?

What the kids do with the 6 “standing ups” that arrive at Christmas?

Play and Snow: M Is For Maple: A Canadian Alphabetby Mike Ulmer, Illustrated by Melanie Rose

Can you predict:

What “H” stands for, in the above alphabet book?

HINT: Something to do with “Play and Snow.”

Play and Snow: The Hockey Sweaterby Roch Carrier, Illustrated by Sheldon Cohen

Can you predict:

What Roch prayed for that day?

Our Canadian Identity

Can you predict what things we have talked about that make Canadians, well, Canadian?